Next phase of marriage and parenthood review to address work-life balance, education stress: Indranee

SINGAPORE - Recommendations to ensure better work-life balance and reduce education stress will be part of the next phase of Singapore’s marriage and parenthood reset, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah said on Oct 23.

The review will also look at how to attain more progressive workplace norms and practices and ensure fertility and maternal health, she said at a DBS Foundation event held at the Institute of Technical Education College Central.

Indranee, who chairs the Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, also highlighted efforts to support families with greater needs.

She cited DBS Foundation’s partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development through ComLink+ to help low-income families with children strengthen their social and financial resilience.

The foundation has also worked with KidSTART Singapore on programmes covering maternal nutrition, mental well-being and financial literacy.

“Such support does more than help families through difficult periods. It actually strengthens their foundations, builds resilience, and creates better opportunities for their children,” she said.

The workgroup was first announced in February, amid Singapore’s falling birth rate. Singapore’s resident total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025, from 0.97 in 2024.

Supported by the National Population and Talent Division, it comprises nine political office-holders from the health, education, manpower ministries and others that review policies support for marriage and parenthood.

The team is looking at the costs of raising children, work-life support, caregiving, housing, healthcare and education. Its full report is expected in early 2027.

The first set of recommendations by the workgroup announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally aimed to give families greater assurance through more financial support, childcare leave and cheaper childcare.

In her speech, Indranee said people are navigating a rapidly changing, more uncertain world in which they are living longer. They also have to balance multiple responsibilities, and adapt to new technologies, including artificial intelligence.

“When they grow up, they will be working in jobs that do not yet exist, and which we can’t even imagine,” she said of children today.

Indranee touched on three “foundations” of building better lives across generations in Singapore’s super-aged society - strong connections, the capability to learn, and a wider circle of care.

“Families are often the first source of support. They provide stability, encouragement, and care through life’s ups and downs. But families themselves also need supportive environments,” she said.

She said the Government, employers, and businesses can create a wider circle of support for families, through measures such as those announced at the National Day Rally in August.

Indranee also called for inclusive spaces that help people form relationships, such as ‘third spaces’ beyond home and school where young people can connect, and community hubs that bring different generations together.

“In a rapidly changing world, relationships and communities become even more important, not less. Technology may change how we work and interact, but people will continue to need...others whom they can trust and rely on,” she said.

Learning must also continue throughout life, she said, pointing to support for Singaporeans to try AI tools, refresh their skills mid-career and continue contributing as they age.

“As we live longer, learning can no longer end with formal education. Learning, adapting and contributing will increasingly be lifelong pursuits,” she said.

Shermaine Ang is a journalist at The Straits Times, covering social issues in Singapore.